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Starting in the middle of events isnt a cliche. Its an old story telling technique called in medias res from the old greeks and has been used in everything from plays, to Oscar winning films to award winning books
Yeah I agree, but I would say that pointing out it has been around since Ancient Greece only reinforces it as a cliche. On the other hand, there aren’t that many stories that pull it off well so I wouldn’t say it is used often enough to be too cliche.
I really dont think you can call a fundamental writing technique a cliche, that would rather apply to the content. I mean having a protagonist and antagonist isnt regarded as cliche for instance, but nearly all pieces of writing have them in some form. So simply put: a knight rescuing a Princess Id consider a cliche, having two characters I wouldnt
But why does he consider himself to be the hero then? I realize that he has to do it to stay alive but he never really feels any remorse for killing. Nathan kills so many people in the game that are just working for Lazarevic, but when Lazarevic kills Jeff that’s when we’re supposed to feel bad???
Ted Guetta you miss the point but never mind, never once does Nate call himself a hero and those guys he killed might be working for someone else but they still happily kill for the money.
The bit where you criticize the fact that Elena doesn't trust Chloe after that first double cross is absolutely insane. Of course she wouldn't trust her, she advocated to leave her friend behind to die.
Agreed. Most of the great movies (Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, etc) have pretty basic plots too. It's the way the story unfolds that make them classics.
You brilliantly worded what I was thinking but couldn’t figure out how to say. People don’t like Uncharted because of the plot. They like it because of how the characters react to the plot.
The narrative for Uncharted 2 isn't bad, it perfectly services the tone Uncharted 2 is striving for: that of a light-hearted action-adventure romp. Now you could argue you personally don't like it or that you would've wanted some more depth, but this story achieves exactly what it sets out to do and thus is not objectively bad. I would personally argue that the things you wanted to change would have taken away from the game, rather than adding to it. It would've sucked the fun out of playing as an action-star in favour of some quasi-moral message which doesn't really fit the tone the game is going for. There are loads of movies in the action genre which don't work because they're trying to get some deeper meaning across which isn't earned, and there are loads of action movies that don't try to do this and are still brilliant, not in spite of their simple stories, but because of them. Sure, it's possible to make an action-adventure story with meaning when you do it well. I think Uncharted 4 succeeded at this, although it didn't hurt that game that it could build on the characters we already loved from the earlier games. But the tone of Uncharted 4 was still more somber and less light-hearted fun than Uncharted 2, which is why while Uncharted 4 is objectively a better game, I still personally prefer Uncharted 2, and even Uncharted 3 to it.
This is the problem with a lot of stories nowadays. They feel ashamed of just being pulpy fun and feel the need to deconstruct the genre instead. That can work, but it doesn’t mean that pulp adventure cliches should go away. Cliches often exist for a reason, and they’re generally fine if the story makes them feel fresh and if it’s well written and logical.
Thomas, you said it better than I ever could have. Uncharted, to me, PERFECTLY captures the kind of tone and fun that it was shooting for, evoking the Indiana Jones movies and the serials that Lucas and Spielberg were paying homage to when they made that movie.
I'm about 23 minutes in at the time of writing this And I have to say for the first time in a while I really just cannot get on board with this critique normally I can understand the criticisms and where they're coming from and they're typically logical from Luke but these all seem very nitpicky and opinion-based rather than pointing out flaws that people overlook because of their love for a product
The device your talking about at 21:30 is called “en media res.” It’s where a story picks up around the climax and then shows how the character ended up in that situation.
A near perfect game in my eyes. Fresh gameplay, perfect pacing, fun pulpy story with great characters. It’s a 10/10 for me. Calling the story bad is something I disagree with because they aren’t trying to be profound or wholly original but to be fun. And not all narratives need to be that and it would be silly to say so.
I agree, but I think he’s trying to say that the last game’s narrative was this same way, and that sequels need to push the boundaries by taking risks with the story.
@@zombiefiedjem5113 I see where your coming from. I remember before U2 release, Naughty Dog out right said one of the 2 main females in this game would die. Now obviously they didn't die and we were tricked by ND in interviews, but we also get tricked by the game. I think at the time they maybe just wanted to build up a roster of characters so didn't ever kill any main protagonists off. Although there are other ways of pushing the boundaries, but killing off characters easily wasn't Uncharted's vibe.........that was left to TLoU
Nate is the bad guy? Is he serious? If Luke at all researched the behind the scenes of Uncharted he'd know it isn't trying to be The Last of Us or some deep character study. It's an adventure serial like Indiana Jones or pulp stories like Doc Savage . There's always supernatural stuff and people getting unmasked at the end. This is what Amy Hennig enjoys and why Uncharted is so mass appealing.
You talk about how Shambala makes no sense but Shambala is actually the main city of the land mass of Agartha in the Inner Earth. That's why you go down the steps and underground. The sun in the sky above Shambala is actually the Earth's Core. It's pretty awesome. Other than your critique of the story just kind of seems like nit picking to me. There isn't supposed to be some deep emotional message. The stories of Uncharted are basically supposed to be like 80's B movie plots and pulp action movies.
Dude, I had no idea. Always wondered why you could see the sun underground and how no one found shambala previously if it was just out in the open. Super rad!
Dude, Shambala doesn't exist. Shambala is Shangri la and Shangri la is a made up city from the novel 'lost horizon' by James Hilton written in 1933. Shangli la is just inspired by some small buddhist temple grounds in Tibet. That's it
@@superlombax1561 No but the theory about the Hollow Earth says that Shambhala is the main continent also known as Agartha. Ever since I heard that theory this game makes total sense. Because think about it, Nate goes down a few massive flights of steps into a cave and has to cross the turning bridges through a massive canyon. It’s basically one of the many entrances to the Inner Earth.
I really have to disagree with the whole "Elena should've died" and "this game should be more serious" thing. That's not the kinda stuff I want to see in an Uncharted game. If you wanna be sad and see characters die, you play The Last of Us. With Uncharted, I'm there to have fun with these incredibly charming characters. They're the main reason I kept playing these games.
Actually how they did the train sequence is really cool. The train is really going in a circle only shifting scenery depending on where the player is on said train.
I believe the reason the guardians outside of the city are dressed up as yetis is that they want to avoid the potential of someone finding about the city by encountering a guardian. If someone was to survive a guardian, not thinking it was simply a yeti, they are likely to be someone who might want the powers of the tree sap.
I love your channel and your critiques but this is the first one that I wanted to stop watching after about 10-15 minutes but I forced myself to finish it; , this “critique” of yours is frankly terrible. You seem dead set on hating the game and everything about it for no reason at all. Everything you say about the game seems to be negative, sarcastic and dismissive. For example you say Chloe “double crossing” Nate and Elena before Jeff is shot makes no sense and that it’s “lame”. You obviously have no knowledge of the characters and made no effort to understand it. The point of Chloe is that when it comes down to it she cares for only one person: HERSELF. When she says “I was trying to save you.”, she’s saying they have made a huge mistake and squandered their lives by wasting time attempting to save Jeff. She then pretends to be holding them up to save her own life when Flynn and Lazarevic show up in the hopes they let her live, at this point she doesn’t care what happens to Nate and Elena. She was willing to help them up until the moment it ensured her death to stand alongside them. It’s a cowardly and despicable move, but part of her character development, something that you say is nonexistent but in fact it’s that you choose to ignore it for this pathetic “critique”. Chloe’s growth is learning to care for those close to her and living her life for something other than looking out for herself. That is the point of her growth in UC2 and especially in The Lost Legacy. Your dismiss every aspect of the story and characters. Like I said before I’m a huge fan of your channel but this is a pathetic and terrible critique, I feel like a 15 year old influencer wrote this critique instead of Luke Stephens. EDIT: Also FYI, starting a story in the middle and having it come full circle to that moment is called “in media res” it’s a very effective storytelling tool used from The Odyssey, to Shakespeare, to The Usual Suspects, to Uncharted 2, etc. It’s not a “fun cliche from 90s comedies”. You’re embarrassing yourself. Be better than this.
I agree with you. There hasn't been an Uncharted that I thought was awful. I love them all in their own ways. Uncharted 4 is obviously the newest and more graphically pleasing, but they all have wonderful stories!
Same, I wonder whether he's going to stop the uncharted critique series to make the last of us 2 one or if he's going to finish the uncharted critique series first.
Huh how strange, I was just playing the game for 3rd time this week. This will be a fun one. Also, I've not finished watching it yet but the right of the bat, I can tell you, the reason I love this game is because of its pacing. This is probably the best pacing I've experienced in a game ever. That is what makes the game click. There is never a single dull moment. Obviously, Uncharted 2 is my favorite game from the series and probably one of my top 5 all-time favorite games. You never would want to put your controller down with this one. I'll get my popcorn.
Yeah, i'm not the biggest of fan of the series but when i was playing it was impossible for me to leave the controller, it may not have a complex narrative or a 10/10 game but thanks to the great pacing and amazing action sequences this may be one of the most fun games i've ever played
That’s why Uncharted 2 is my favorite as well. The pacing is absolutely perfect. There’s always something happening, and the idea of placing the village section immediately after the amazing train section was the perfect time for the player to relax. For the other Uncharted games, I might go to chapter select to play certain sections again rather than playing the whole game again. With Uncharted 2, I usually just end up playing the whole game again because I just get sucked in by the action and the characters.
i’m sorry but i have to disagree. i thought this boss fight was so much more fun and definitely my favorite in the franchise. it’s so much more interactive and enjoyable than just plain button mashing lol
Exactly, it's the only final boss fight that has actual gameplay and makes use of vertical terrain and platforming, and isn't just a QTE fest in a tiny flat area. The Unch 2 final boss fight is easily the best of the series.
I definitely think U4 has the best boss fight. ND realised they were never going to make a fun, impactful boss fight that also had narrative significance, so instead of trying to do all of them they just focused on narrative significance and atmosphere and it works very well IMO. I wouldn't call running and occasionally shooting blue blobs "gameplay".
Ashley Kettle what I am saying is compared to most games the uncharted series has pretty good plots, some game plots are absolutely terrible even today yes there are flaws but they are flaws which appear in the very movies the games are mirroring so it’s even less of a valid argument.
YES- that’s what you’re supposed to do. Too many people have so much nostalgia towards this game saying that it’s better than Uncharted 4. Leading it to be one of the “best” games on metacritic, which just isn’t true.
Also, whenever I see someone say that this is better than Uncharted 4 it’s usually not backed up by any reason at all. It’s just a UA-cam comment saying “Uncharted 2 is my favorite” or a list of their favorite Uncharted games witch Uncharted 2 as number 1
Look up the 2013 teaser for Uncharted 4 and read about it. Sam Drake was going to be the main antagonist who was vengeful for Nate abandoning him years ago.
I think it would have literally been the same as 1-3...........as in search for treasure, "supernatural" thing at end, but it turns out the treasure making them "supernatural"........... I don't think she would have killed off Drake........that's something Neil Druckman would be more in favour of - yet even he didn't do that. I can't think of anything different she would have done........
You should play the remaster ps4 version. It still looks amazing for a remaster that came out in 2015 for a game made in 2009 on technology from 2005. This reviewer is an idiot.
I'ts hard to pick just one Uncharted game as "the best" but if I had to I'd probably pick 4. As good as the rest are, 4 just hits you harder in a way that no other game in the series does.
I think the fact that the guardians of Shambala wore these beasty outfits was because they wanted to stay warm in the snowy areas cuz those are the only areas you see them wearing it :)
If you check out retro replay the devs talk about how they did the train setpiece, it was actually a series of environments that had a track on a loop through them and once you got to the right train car to advance the story the train would connect to the next looped environment, it's actually pretty smart
You're seriously going to criticize the game on the decomposition of bodies? And you're bringing up DPS? For real? A lot of what you said in your "narrative" section isn't even critical of the narrative, it's critical of the game design. Similarly, most of your gripes are laughably minute and barely influence the overall product. Is it a perfect game? Of course not. However, it's clearly meant to mimic an Indiana Jones style treasure hunting action film, and it accomplishes that extremely well, especially for the time. This is NOT The Last of Us, it isn't meant to be a character exploration or an analysis of human emotion and/or the impacts of player decisions. It's a lot easier to look back and say "this should have been deeper" when you weren't a part of the creative process, and when you've had years to experience better games. But in terms of their decision making, how can you possibly know that they didn't already have an ending for the series planned out? Why would they kill Elena if her value to the overall plot is greater than you realize at the time? Finally, when it comes to glitches and technical hiccups/issues, if you played the PS4 remasters then you're going to experience more problems. Hands down. There are a plethora of issues that have arisen which never existed before simply as a result of the upgrade to the PS4, including a few game breaking ones too. Is that the fault of the original title? No. It was done by a completely different group of people. And with regards to that whole grenade prompt in the spike pit section, it isn't a scripted moment telling you to blow up the stone gear pieces with a grenade. As a matter of fact, using a grenade at that moment is actually pretty stupid lmao. It was a gameplay hint that just happened to pop up at the same time (and one I'm fairly certain you can turn off). Again, something that happens more frequently than it used to because of the PS4 remaster, but clearly not enough of an issue to say that that section isn't scary or intimidating. Honestly that last bit was too much, I can't continue watching this. For you to criticize the entirety of the game based on things like that just reduces this entire thing to whining for me. There's not a lot of value to this analysis.
The train was actually on looped tracks and always changed settings during a cutscene or a set event: you go from the forest to the lake during the cutscene with the chopper and the burning carriage, from the lake to the tunnel during the green carriage exploding, from the tunnel into the mountains during the mini-boss cutscene and then the train crashes after the "Nate gets shot" cutscene. So you could go as slow or as fast as you want and the train would still keep its speed and changing scenery.
For me, what keeps me going is the characters. Are they super deep, with complicated wants and motivations? No, they're not. But they're simply enjoyable. I enjoy Nate bickering and bantering with his oddball group of friends. I wanted ever since the first game for Nate and Elena to end up together, because I particularly enjoyed their chemistry. I think you need to take these games for what they are. They're the cheesy action movies in game format. They don't really try to be much more than that, but they have their charm nonetheless.
I swear to god that in the original PS3 version (which i platinumed) every time the ceiling caving in part happened, i NEVER got that grenade tip once. I never used a grenade in that section for my MANY playthroughs, ive always shot at the spikes and im PRETTY SURE we were meant to figure that out on our own. That grenade tip might have been added for the collection remaster which is dumb. Ive played the game a couple times on that version but turn the hints off because i have these first 3 games memorized to an embarrassing degree really. But that grenade tip for that part really is news to me. Great videos though. Just came from your Uncharted 3 critique on Patreon!
Since this guys is craping on the "story" of U2, which by all accounts is pretty much similar to almost all action/adventure/treasure hunt types of stories, does he have a recommendation for an amazing story in this genere? Not trying to put him down but just want to know if I have missed some stellar game in this category.
Uncharted 4 has a deeper and I'd say objectively better story. The way the story is told is equal if not better in U2, but looking at the story alone, U4 has the best one by quite a large margin.
Luca Patel yeah but for all intents of purposes, that story isn’t what Uncharted represented and homages at its core. Even the supernatural aspects were removed. Not to say it was bad by any means, but I doubt it would have strayed that much of the series identity if it wasn’t Nate’s final entry.
Luca Patel I 100% agree. The story in 4 really resonated with me. The first time I played it, Nate and Sam’s story really stood out because I would do the same for my brothers and sisters. I just finished another playthrough this week, the first time I’ve touched it since getting married, and oh boy did Nate and Elena’s scenes on Madagascar and the island get to me.
I would just play more recent games. MGS series, Uncharted 4, God of War, TLOU1&2 (the 2nd will either blow you away, or you'll hate it. Its worth seeing which one you are tho.) Nier Automata. Honestly recent singe player games are really the only ones with enough depth in their narratives to really impress you if you're used to watching quality film narratives.
I think the story in 4 is definitely better in terms of showing Nate and Elena's developing as characters and as a couple. Plus it brought their stories to a nice end and tied in Nates past with his actions in the previous games. We get to see why he did all of the things he did and really get to flesh out him as a character more than a campy action star. And I think it didn't really need a supernatural twist at the end because it would have just been rehashing the same events of the older games. The jokes about "pirate ghosts" and haunted treasure actually added to the mystery as well and it was more of a subtle curse than anything. I think the franchise is great the way it is and it shows how it developed, changed, and grew as a series throughout it's development and is honestly one of my favorite series. In terms of other amazing stories in this genre I guess I could point to the new tomb raider games obviously which I think really don't compare on the narrative level as well as blending that with gameplay. Let me think... I mean if you think of any sort of action hero or game they never have extremely well though out motives or emotional depth. Resident evil for example is a loved franchise and no one really questions Leon or Clare's emotional or narrative consequences because it's a horror game. My point is that the game does well for what it's trying to do and I don't really agree with this guy's points and feel he's just nit picking. But hey everyone's entitled to their opinion. Uncharted really is a gem of a franchise where you get great graphics, compelling characters who are relatable and likeable, and solid shooting gameplay on top of it. It doesn't really need to be anything more and it accomplished what it wanted to.
1. Uncharted 1 2. Uncharted 2 3. Uncharted 3 4. Uncharted 4 5. Uncharted Lost Legacy It's my own opinion. Played every one of them on their day 1 release date.
I think one of the main reasons why Uncharted 2 is loved by so many, with it also being my favourite, is because of how much better it was compared to what came before. I myself played it for the first time only 3 months ago after having beaten the first one and the leap in quality astounded me and in some ways perhaps made me rather oblivious to its flaws. For me the monotony of the first game was completely diminished, it was a lightening in a bottle moment and neither Uncharted 3, nor even Uncharted 4 surprised me as much as 2. I’m not sure if that makes any sense so apologies if that’s the case. (And yes playing all of these games multiple times over is what I did for the first month or so of quarantine.)
I just finished U2 remastered after playing the original 10 years ago and U4 more recently. I thought it was amazing to be honest and is my favourite one for sure. The trek from the streets of Nepal to the epic train sequence into the mountains all in real time was just incredible.
Nate's motivation to get to the Tree of Life and stop Lazarevic always seemed like a "white knight" tragic flaw thing. If Uncharted 3 is about Nate's pride, Uncharted 2 is about his short sighted moral compass. He often gets himself and others he cares about into more danger in the pursuit of "doing the right thing", and although this game doesnt explore that idea as fully as it perhaps should have, that was what I took away from the experience my first time playing.
He fantasizes about being a morally dubious yet unquestionably brave adventurer like his namesake. Its built into his character from the eponymous level upward.
I always took it as them deliberately pointing out that Nate doesn't care about Elena to that level yet, and if he does he has yet to realise or admit it to himself. Its clear from the first game they were going to be together especially with reintroducing her in this game. Its not that he doesn't care about Elena, its just no the first thing on his mind. He wants to be the hero and save the day.
I took it more as him doing what Elena would want since she was the one who wanted to stop Lazarevic the whole time. Nate and Chloe were initially just in it for the treasure
I think the Yeti thing is cool. Makes sense to explain the myth of the Yeti. Plus it scares people into staying away from Shambala. A yeti is way scarier than a guardian that just looks like a dude.
If you are arguing that Nathan is the bad guy because he kills people too. You are taking this way to serious. It is a game. A great game at that. And if you think that he kills people because he wants to your wrong. He’s an explorer who wants to find the worlds legendary treasures. The problem with that is so do a bunch of had people. And when they shoot at him he shoots back. Is Indiana Jones a bad guy? No sir. Same reasons. Trouble just finds Drake. You have to remember that these are movies that you play. It’s not the Last of us that is grounded and real. It’s uncharted. Which is a larger than life action game. Where super natural stuff happens. Some of the story stuff is cheesy sure and the yeti stuff and that final boss fight do kind of suck. But other than that I think you are being to harsh on what I believe is the best game they ever put on the PS3 (unless you count the Last of Us)
I feel like those markings you're saying that Uncharted 2 doesn't have ARE actually there in the second half of the game, when you're in the snowy areas. It was notably Napal that was lacking them, and where the way to go was a little less direct.
20:30 the train sections are actually just giant looping sections of tracks so it can go on forever only to then transition to where it needs to be during certain scripted cutscene sections. Watching a video on how the train sequence was pulled off and being able to see it from perspectives the player would never be able to was really cool seeing the tricks the devs used to get it working but it's very noticeable especially in the tunnel and mountain area that it's a giant loop since you are able to see the track splits to the tunnel exit or notice yourself passing over the same bridge multiple times if you take too long.
My “moment” with this game came in the penultimate chapter, Broken Paradise. The Guardians attacked Lazarevic’s men, and I thought that they might be killed, but the soldiers easily fought them back. I was playing on Crushing, and it was my first play through, so I didn’t know the best battle strategy. I picked off a few with my guns, until I had no ammo left, but I arrived at a dilemma. There was no ammo near me, and no other guns. To take more, I had to jump straight into the foray and hope I wasn’t killed. There was a mini gun continually spraying fire as well. After waiting in apprehension, I finally did it, and succeeded! My ecstasy knew no bounds, and it was one of the most satisfying gameplay moments I’ve had. That sold me on it.
Yeah 3 just has better combat thats all, 2 had way better Storyline and enemies, in 3 the enemies were weird and the Story felt just lost sometimes and they added for that amazing set pieces
@@SPM0717 U2 had better pacing ? The game that had the unnecessarily long train and identical shootouts in the Monastery ? And also the 17-18 exploring chapters with Tenzin that I love, but, to be honest, didn't make much sense for the plot because at this moment characters should've try to find Shambhala instead of spending time on evidence Schaefer could provide them with. No, U3 had less plot holes and another, but not worse, pacing with an optimal length for all chapters
So 15 minutes in is when I realized why people have an issue with this critique. For his own purposes, Luke strips down the story to it's basic plot points - removing all of the context that makes the story an enjoyable ride. It's not that the story is bad, its just that a Thanksgiving turkey is made more enjoyable by all the amazing trimmings. To break it down in this way is like judging a smartphone simply on it's ability to make and receive phone calls. I'm not even a die hard fan of 2 - in fact the way Luke claims that most fondly remember it, or that it's the best in series - is the way I feel about part 3. Is the critique valid for what it is - arguably yes. Is it fair that he replayed these games through a modernized "The Last of Us" lens and is therefore unworthy of it's acclaim - arguably no. The sum of it's parts is exactly what makes it memorable - IMHO.
3 was just a letdown for me. The pacing just isn't a patch on 2 and there's more plot holes throughout. Gameplay-wise, some bits are improved, some aren't; the worst for me was the enemy AI and how they react to being hit (or should I say, lack of) which completely spoils what should be enjoyable gunfights.
@@SPM0717 I can respect that totally. 3 just caught me at the right time. When I first got into the series, 2 was already out. So 3 was at least for me, the "big" release. Playing Nate as a kid and seeing the relationship with Sully created, the humor, the interactive environments during hand to hand combat, the chase scenes, the huge set pieces, Nate & Elena's relationship evolving- for me it was The Princess Bride of Uncharted...at least until 4 hit lol
42:00 locked in a cold dark room with Chloe sounds pretty nice actually!! Lol Pro tip though. Hint prompts are for children. You turn them off. Another one of your many ridiculous gripes.
It's funny, I loved the final boss. Every final boss since has been disappointing. It felt difficult, especially on the hardest difficulty (as you'd expect). It actually felt like a "Final Boss" to me, rather than a quick time event.
That was a very roundabout way of sucking off Druckmann and dismissing Hennig. Joking aside, game critics have been throwing around the "ludonarrative dissonance" meme endlessly about Uncharted for over a decade, as if its the only game where the protagonist racks up a huge death toll and doesn't have to deal with heavy handed moralizing about how mass murder is bad. Uncharted is designed after the spirit of the Alan Quatermain books and the Republic serial matinees. The only reason the journalist class got so uncomfortable about the death toll was the demographics of the first game's enemies and Yahtzee insisting the series was racist since day one, because he's a tedious hack.
Uncharted 2 literally pioneered uncharted stealth. There are several gameplay encounters (albeit I believe they should’ve done more) that are done entirely stealth. Ex: the prison prologue with tranqs introducing stealth, nearly all of Borneo, several encounters in the urban city, and the train sequence stealth parts oh my looooord are the best. I really like the effort you put into the video and overall it’s a great watch, but I think you were somewhat off with a few parts ;)
Seems like it’s cool to hate on Naughty Dog at the moment. Just like it was cool to hate on Death Stranding in November. Shame, I miss the times when this channel actually produced intelligent and well researched critiques on games...
Same here, seeing people playing it made me want to get a PS3. I love the Nepalese city and train levels in particular having replayed both parts more than I can count
Hey, so just a recommendation. I love your videos but you use the phrase "but dont worry we will get there" about every 3 minutes and it's a heavily over-used phrase. Instead of saying "but dont worry we will get there" just end the thought and move on. We as listeners should have a long enough memory to not need that primer. For me personally, its quite annoying and makes it hard to watch some videos for long moments of time (30 + mins). This quirk seems unique to you and I respect that, but I know that you are a good writer and dont need to say the same phrase every 3 minutes Love the vids othotherwise!
Strongly disagree on the narrative front. Of course it is not perfect, but in 2009, this was peak story telling and it was amazing. It was the undisputed GOTY for many and it was a huge game which I feel started to turn the PS3 around from which point Sony focused more on story driven games. I don't think doing a critique in 2020 comparing this games to games that came out years later is valid or even fair. You judge a game by what it was, at its time, based on story and gameplay. Of course you're welcome to your opinion :) Appreciate the critique Luke
As someone who just finished the second game for the first time, I completely agree with your talk about markings and freeclimbing. It also reminds me of the way that they were able to both mark and organically integrate it into the world in The Last of Us. In TLOU, there were only a few places where you would be able to jump up and climb thigs or would need to boost someone to do so, but these would be marked in ways that still suited the world. My favorite example is early in the game when one of these spots is marked with an old strand of caution tape.
It is difficult for me to pick between the Uncharted games. I loved them all for different reasons, even Uncharted 1 which most people seem to rank last. They are just so special and I hope one day we might see another.
I played the whole lot over lockdown. And for whatever reason, I played Uncharted 4, Lost Legacy and THEN Uncharted 1. Random, I know. But booting Uncharted 1 up I was think "oh god here we go, this is going to irk me"..............I don't know what happened this time, but it really took me back to 2007 - the controls and graphics (albeit remastered) the story......I was really getting in to it all again. I don't really know why I clicked with it again this time as I've been back to it many times and I knew it aged bad. But I appreciated it for what it does differently, the eerie island, just Nate and Elena, and probably just being aware of where the characters go after this. I think if I was someone new going in to Uncharted 1 in 2020........ then 95% would really dislike it. So I feel lucky I played these game when I did.
@@mike7887 I only started playing them this year, and I've finished all 4. So I went into uncharted 1 in 2020 and I did not hate it at all, I loved every moment. Compared to uncharted 4, yes the graphics aren't as good but the characters are still wonderful and it's so special to experience the beginning. I've not played lost legacy yet, I've not long completed Uncharted 4 (I recorded it for my channel). But I hope to play Lost Legacy soon. I'm looking forward to it!
@@xJuliettex Ahhh I'm excited for you to play it. U4 is my favourite. Then Lost Legacy. Such a beautiful game. Not anything deep and layered like U4 but intriguing setting, more character development for Chloe, and good pacing! Hope you enjoy it!
Bro I remember going to GS and seeing the cover of UC2 on their magazine and so blown away by it, I know it was gonna be so big. Backstory me and my friends bought (acutally pooled our money together for a month) the original game and played it for like months over and over comparing it to TR and knowing it was gonna be THE GAME for the PS3, it's one of those where you could just feel the immeasurable potential the heat if you wanna call it that coming from the game.
I honestly have a hard time with this review of the story. It seems like you want it to be Sophie's Choice, but it *is* Indiana Jones. Raiders isn't a dramatic masterpiece, but it is still a fantastic adventure and an enjoyable movie. My personal rank is: 1. Uncharted 2 2. Uncharted 3 3. Uncharted 6 (tie) Lost Legacy (two characters I really don't care that much about) 6 (tie) Uncharted 4 (Sam is the worst. I can't bring myself to care about him)
I think you evaluate the quality of a plot according to how pretentious it wants to be, which is a tremendous mistake. I mean, saying its story is bad because it doesn’t have the twists and turns of a script such as the one of The Last Of Us’s is quite an stretch and unfair. Like saying The Last Crusade is crap because it isn’t The Godfather. For me, a story is good as long as it nails all the points it is going for and wants to make. Uncharted 2 does this not only with its narrative, but also with all its other features. Reason why to this day, it still is the highest rated Naughty Dog game with a 96 on Metacritic. 14:45 another mistake you seem to be making, imo, is to easily compare Uncharted 2 with Infinity War when both works are representatives from completely different sub-genres with their own inherit tropes that both works do their best to homage. Hence a comparison with Indiana Jones would be much more fitting, Lazarevich is much closer to the type of villain that Belloq represents than Thanos, and that’s perfectly fine because it’s the game’s intention to pay tribute to classic pulp action stories which is what essentially Uncharted wants to be and is at its core. 33:24 I doubt that would have happen considering Elena tells us Lazarevich’s history of war crimes and Zoran himself tells us how he sees Pol Pot, Hitler and Stalin as examples to be followed. Although I agree it would have been nice to see a more developed defense from behalf of Nate to his kill streak that borderlines genocide, given that it is addressed by the plot, I believe people that heavily persuits these type of stories expecting the overrated Ludonarrative Dissonance argument to be complied with are the same individuals that would want Indiana Jones 5 to be a two and a half hour character study of Indy crying in a therapy session because the screams don’t let him sleep. 35:14 the reason I’ve seen to be shared the most in the Uncharted subreddit is that Nate kills because it’s “kill or be killed”, which in my eyes is more than a valid reason for a series which in its og trilogy the protagonist saves the world repeatedly in plots that don’t take themselves seriously most of the time. Even then, in my own personal take, Nate has a moral compass which can perfectly be seen in the museum section. For example, he won’t kill a guard who is just doing his job and in the worst case scenario will just lock him in a cell if caught, but in the other hand he is more than willing to kill a generic mercenary who won’t doubt in shooting at him and probably already has plenty of blood in his hands for choosing a dishonorable profession just like Nate himself. So in conclusion, Nate is still relatable to the average player who doesn’t over analyze because despite killing a lot of people, he still has a core set of values and won’t let a treasure he seeks to be used to harm others (like we can see in U1, U2, U3 and Golden Abyss) because he is into this life for a personal reason which was explained later in U4 although it was implied in previous games. Which is more than enough in a plot that wants to be simplistically lighthearted for the sake of making you have a good time, which is another reason why Nate is so beloved as he always cracks you a smile. 37:08 As I said, Uncharted is meant to be lighthearted the same way Star Wars or Indiana Jones is. Which in the words of George Lucas on why he didn’t kill Han Solo “the less main characters you kill the better, because the audience has to feel uplifted once the credits roll”. Although I get your frustration, ultimately that’s not what Uncharted nor Amy Hennig wanted the early games to be. 39:18 Well, you could say that’s Nate’s overarching evolution. He overcomes his obsession for treasure hunting and becomes responsible of his actions for his sake and the sake of those who surround him by the end of Uncharted 4. And Drake’s Deception and A Thief’s End point this flaw in Nate constantly. 40:48 if you want to be that nitpicky, I can tell you helicopters can’t fly at that altitude (which isn’t the same one as in the train section) reason why rescues on the Everest aren’t a thing... but yeah any Google satellite could have noticed that city, although if that was the case there wouldn’t be a game so... 41:16 just like in Indiana Jones, Nate’s character development in the first two games is pretty much “I don’t believe in fairy tales” to “I guess I should allow myself to believe more and be less cynical” (just like with Chloe) and the character of Schaffer shows this to Drake, reason why Nate has such a respect for the man by the ending. Also the level of commitment in the relationship with Elena deepens with each installment. Again, simple, but not bad because of it. 42:11 well, it is a 10 year old game idk what else to tell you. 43:23 strange, those tips tend to appear after dying a lot, as everyone I’ve seen playing this part uses bullets to shatter the gears. 47:03 That’s one of my biggest problems with your critiques man, you never contextualize to the time the game you are analyzing came out. At the time those markings were praised for the huge leap they meant in level design as they did serve a purpose, guide you without you realizing, and they did that extremely well. It’s not Uncharted 2’s fault that later installments would refine this technique. Also, the fact that you are comparing a 2009 game with Assasins’s Creed ODYSSEY only proves my point even more.
I think we love it cause it's just fun. The plot isnt great, but the script and pacing are. They give you just enough other things like puzzles, parkour, and the train scene, car chase to switch up the monotony of the shooting galleries
You mentioned that you didn’t play this game when it first came out, and that’s the ballgame right there. I’m sorry you wasted so much time producing this critique, but what you failed to acknowledge is that in terms of every aspect of the presentation, including narrative and screenplay, this was light years beyond almost any standard set for games up to that point. To the extent that The Last of Us is “better” than this, that’s at least how far this was beyond almost anything else that gamers could compare it to at the time. I’m sure in your opinion, FFVI (from 1994) aged even worse than this, but trust me, when you experience a paradigm shift, you’re not worried about nitpicking.
Completely nailed it. I mean, Uncharted 4 “fixes” the issues he has. Except the lack of depth he finds in UC2 doesn’t constitute as it being flawed. UC2 works perfectly well and feels perfectly comfortable not having the need to tell such an in depth story.
Why I loved Uncharted 2? I love the scenary, soundtrack, the story, the puzzles and the characters. I fully understand your criticisms against the story, but let me explain: It's not a 'the last of us'. It's not realistic. It's not a masterpiece in terms of philosophy. It's a light hearted story, where, at the end of the day, everything turns out fine. Yes, you can have more realistic games to sacrifice the light heartedness. Yes, you can kill off Elena, and make a bitter sweet ending, of how harsh the world treats you for saving it. But that's, again, not a light hearted story. I know Luke, you prefer bitter sweet endings and meaningful choices, but I gotta admit; I'm a fan of a 100% good ending, doesn't matter how stereotypical. At the end of the day, I want my favourite characters to be happy, when I played through the game. At the end of the day, this game makes you feel happy in the end, because everything turned out fine. And about the puzzles, I fully stand behind the ridiculous over the top puzzles. I recently played through tomb raider and those games just wouldn't be as fun, if you had legitimate mayan puzzles, because you'd either have a deep pit to fall to your doom or a few stone traps, ready to bury you. On the other side, I fully agree with the gameplay and the hints. Even more with the hints, since tomb raider on the hardest difficulty throws them in verbally every few seconds.. I haven't played the game for 6 or 7 years, but got it for free on the ps4, so I'll go replay it.
@@UKEDNHAT7 Far from it imo... You've got GoW 3, Killzone 2/3, inFamous 1/2, Ratchet & Clank A Crack In Time, Sly 4... Just TONS of amazing PlayStation Exclusives on PS3 that all outshine anything Naughty Dog did that generation, shit the Jak & Daxter HD Collection (a Remaster of Naughty Dog's PS2 output, and arguably their BEST Games... STRAIGHT FACTS) was better than Uncharted 1-3 & TLoU 1 🤷♂️
Im surprised you didn't talk about how the Villains kept showing up right behind us coincidentally right at the moment we find key information or unlock a new path even though the villains didn't have the accurate information like Drake did. Once at the top of the mountain then the Temple in the city then a third time at the entrance of Shambala. Like hoooow Like if they did that once fine but THREE TIMES?!?!?!?!
The NaughtyDog pairing concept is great - one bugbear I have with (most) other games with companions is how every time you come to a situation, the companion is inconveniently behind a wall or door or asleep or busy or waiting for you to activate a switch down a dark corridor
unpopular opinion apparently: i don't find any problem with nate killing countless armed henchmen who make no secret of their own desire to kill him and others and i do NOT find any ludo-narrative dissonance in it on the argument of self defense and defense of others. now, if he had gone on about how killing is wrong or how difficult killing is or something in cutscenes and then preceded to murderize everyone in gameplay, THEN it would be ludo-narrative dissonance for me
I see the same the uncharted games in the exact same way i see the indiana jones films. in a fun adventure story that doesn't take itself too seriously. you don't have to play the previous games to understand what's going on or to have fun and it all wraps up nicely in the end. the most i take out of this is the gameplay, the scenery, and just the graphics/animations that still blow me away to this day. As i a kid i never played those games wondering about the morality of nathans actions or why the story went into the direction it did. i was just along for the ride and i had fun.
If i remember correctly, put simpler than it is, the train level was possible by putting triggers on the train itself, so the outside repeats until activating the triggers to change the scenery.
Pointless plot, endless run and gun, expected cinematic sequences, brainless puzzle solving equates a perfect 10/10 for you. Good job at setting the bar high. More bang for your buck.
I know it’s been awhile since this came out so no one will care about this comment. But uncharted 2 came out a hard time in my life, I never played the first one and my dad gave me this one before I went away after the summer. I lived in a new town and did not know anyone, maybe 12 years old. No internet, no friends and a copy uncharted 2. I played this game for almost an entire year and only this game. Beat it several hundred times and can probably quote the entire thing and play it with my eyes closed. Nothing will ever come close to the feelings I had about this game because of what it did for me in one of the hardest times of my life. So that’s why this is my favorite uncharted game.
This was very critical, and I don't think a lot of it was justified. You mention that the Uncharted series lacks consequences, which I agree with (Uncharted 4 definitely deserves that criticism), but you say that this game should have followed through with Elena dying to act as an unintended consequence for Nate's selfless decision to fight Lazarevich. Nate wasn't a hero in this game, though, so it would essentially punish a selfish character for being selfless for once, and the world in the Uncharted games isn't designed to be that cruel. Nate choosing to defeat Lazarevich displayed one of Nate's only positive character traits, being his selfless heroism, and so having a repercussion for that I don't think is necessary at all and doesn't fit the series tonally. To me, escaping with Elena was the easier and more selfish choice, and Nate going to fight Lazarevich is a brash decision, but not in the same selfish ways as most other decisions he makes. You also imply that Lazarevich MIGHT have improved the world in some way, and that Nate could have been the greater of the two evils by killing his soldiers mercilessly, but the chapters in Tibet show that this isn't true. Lazarevich tears apart a city looking for a temple, creating a war zone, and throughout the game he is clearly depicted as an evil dude. The game obviously didn't want to explore a more complex antagonist, and it could have, but I don't think that it is a knock against it. A story that is campy and self aware is always more fun to me than a story that tries to take itself seriously but is unaware that it is vapid. I just think that having a massive consequence at the end of this game would have been a poor way of trying to make a fun adventure more thought provoking. In Uncharted 4, though, definitely. I love that game way more than this one, but that was a game that needed a consequence at the end because the game had been pointing to weighty decisions and amoral character choices from the start, and was obviously made with a more serious tone in mind, unlike this game.
The major criticism I've seen is that its a beat-for-beat retread of Uncharted 2, and the new plot elements it introduces are underdeveloped to the point of being outright aborted. Stuff like how Talbot does the impossible things he does on the regular, that kind of thing.
Luke, you really should work on your writing a little more. Very often you are falling into the loop of repeating the same statement multiple times without really adding anything of value to these statements. I feel like you could easily cut 30% out of your reviews and they will not lose anything. Still love your videos though, its just that it can get annoying for me sometimes.
Phurba dagger is pronounced as if the H weren’t there, just perba dagger I guess. And for the shambala protector beast guys just get crazy headshots on one, steal one of their crossbows, and don’t miss, crossbows take ‘em down mad quick even on brutal
I agree that the gameplay is iffy compared to Uc4 and Uc3. However, I feel like this game just feels like the complete blockbuster adventure even more than those 2 games. The set piece sequences, locations, pacing, atmosphere just feel so uniquely Uncharted 2. I always say that technically Uc4 is the best, but my favorite will always remain Uc2 even after all these years and its faults.
@@Luca-bv5ic It wasn't so much the gunplay as the fact that enemies almost never reacted to being shot and continued to run towards you (when they weren't flanking you), which really made ploughing through them less enjoyable.
I respectfully disagree with the whole 'chickening out' scenario. These games are light hearted, they're 'swash-buckling' Errol Flynn type adventures. I only consider U4 to be a genuine 'grounded' narrative. So I'm on board with Sully and Elena surviving. The resulting games would be very serious. Would Nate even be this light hearted- wise cracking guy in U3 if his love interest had died at his, admittedly, own hands. I don't think so. These games, at least the first three, are built around the premise that you're not supposed to take it so seriously and just enjoy the ride. I think you're over-critique-ing it for the sake of it, in my most humble opinion.
Can’t wait to hear your critique of TLOU2 bc imo Naughty Dog acknowledges their previous tropes and the dissonance of mass murder to examine the thin lines between good and evil. I can’t say I believe TLOU2 is a masterpiece but I will say it’s ND evolving to becoming far more self aware.
I'd say they've been self-aware from the beginning, its the critics who misunderstood what kind of story they were playing. They bought tickets to "The Road" and sat down in the theatre showing "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold"
UC2 is the best in the series because it actually is a summer blockbuster of a game, whereas further games are cinematic experiences with tacked-on serviceable recycled gameplay. In 4 hours of playing UC2 you'll be doing anything from running away from a truck with machine-guns shooting at you, fighting a helicopter on rooftops, fighting for life in a collapsing building, fighting mini-gunners, fighting a tank, fighting enemies on a moving train, fighting enemies while hanging on a side of a building, etc., and all of that with enough fun character moments and exposition to keep you invested in the game's pulpy story and characters. In that same 4 hours of UC4, particularly in the beginning, you're gonna be going back-to-back through 8 barely interactive story levels with 0 replayability, which range from diving in a canal, going through another retrospective young Drake level where you're just walking around, to walking in the attic. Riveting stuff. All with a nice juicy gravy of forced walking segments and cutscenes, of course. And further into the game you'll get some action, but the pacing is so poor, that you'll be walking and climbing around for 2-3 hours straight (climbing just isn't particularly exciting in Uncharted games, so combat is the only way to get some sort of a dopamine rush), then have 2 to 3 enemy encounters in a row for let's say 15-30 minutes depending on the difficulty, and it's back to 2-3 hours of watching cutscenes, walking/driving/climbing, cause the levels are too big, we need to marvel at vistas, and the story needs to happen. There are like 25+ enemy encounters in the whole game (all listed in the main menu) in a 25hr long game. It would be bad enough to have one every hour, but they're not even spaced out that way, and the final ~4 hours of the game are a constant war zone with ~10 combat scenarios in a row, and you're sick of gun fights, and want them to end by then, too. Hell even the story in UC4 was full of recycled ideas and story-lines from the whole franchise, and had a generic Naruto/Harry Potter ending. I've beaten this game twice for the platinum, and I'm never playing it again - there's nothing more frustrating then coming back from work, firing up a game, and then having 0 fun in the 2-3 hours you've got to play. I can play slower-paced games just fine, but this is supposed to be action-adventure, after all. UC3 wasn't as bad UC4, but it already started veering into that form over function path with young Drake levels, stuff like walking through the desert for 5 minutes straight, running through the market on drugs, forced walking segments, and story-heavy levels where you're just a passive observer pressing a button whenever ND wants you to. Somewhere along the way ND lost the plot, and figured they'd rather make movies than games, and show off. If they cared about gameplay they'd never make O button do opposite things depending on how close the enemy stands to you - when you pressed O in UC3 you'd either roll out of danger, or Drake lunged straight into an enemy to initiate melee combat. I can't tell you how many times I'd die because of this on crushing difficulty, cause Nate would jump out of cover straight into enemy fire, instead of rolling away (that lounge could cover a surprising amount of ground, too). Or how about 'right, right, hold triangle, up, up, release triangle' combos for selecting a single weapon in TLOU2 instead of implementing a simple weapon wheel? These combos got even longer if you wanted to change ammo, or add a silencer. This is basic gameplay stuff. Stealth segments were straight up broken in UC3, and they don't gel well with crushing difficulty in newer games, either. I just finished Lost Legacy and I died a lot of times because of the brain dead AI companions that get in my way, push me around, raise alarms by knocking enemies out in plain sight, or constantly get in my line of fire. Not to mention they'd block my way during exploration, too. But hey, the environments look nice. Where's the fun in ND's newer games? How come UC2 has 10x more set pieces than UC4, and is still 10x more fun to play to this day?
Props to these fine folks who keep these critiques coming!
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You guys are the ACTUAL best!
When is The Last of Us Part II review coming out?
Most don't play games for the first time with critical eyes, analyzing and studying every single aspect but being at the moment of what you're doing
It has a better story then any of the Indiana Jones movies.
Starting in the middle of events isnt a cliche. Its an old story telling technique called in medias res from the old greeks and has been used in everything from plays, to Oscar winning films to award winning books
While I agree that doesn‘t mean it can‘t be a cliche.
Don’t worry he also complains when they don’t use cliches like saving Elena with the Tree of Life
Yeah I agree, but I would say that pointing out it has been around since Ancient Greece only reinforces it as a cliche. On the other hand, there aren’t that many stories that pull it off well so I wouldn’t say it is used often enough to be too cliche.
I really dont think you can call a fundamental writing technique a cliche, that would rather apply to the content. I mean having a protagonist and antagonist isnt regarded as cliche for instance, but nearly all pieces of writing have them in some form. So simply put: a knight rescuing a Princess Id consider a cliche, having two characters I wouldnt
you just proved that it's a cliche
Why does Nate kill so many people? Because they keep trying to kill him would be my guess
I literally don't know if murder is bad if the game doesn't tell me that murder is bad.
Abigail Slade at least it’s make senses than Ellie revenge plot
Copper Rank Main I didn’t mind the revenge-is-bad plot, but how it glorifies gameplay violence but cutscene violence matters is just childish
But why does he consider himself to be the hero then? I realize that he has to do it to stay alive but he never really feels any remorse for killing. Nathan kills so many people in the game that are just working for Lazarevic, but when Lazarevic kills Jeff that’s when we’re supposed to feel bad???
Ted Guetta you miss the point but never mind, never once does Nate call himself a hero and those guys he killed might be working for someone else but they still happily kill for the money.
The bit where you criticize the fact that Elena doesn't trust Chloe after that first double cross is absolutely insane. Of course she wouldn't trust her, she advocated to leave her friend behind to die.
Narrative doesn't mean "plot". The story might not be great, but the narrative is, without a doubt.
Agreed. Most of the great movies (Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, etc) have pretty basic plots too. It's the way the story unfolds that make them classics.
You brilliantly worded what I was thinking but couldn’t figure out how to say.
People don’t like Uncharted because of the plot. They like it because of how the characters react to the plot.
Yeah story and plot aren’t the same thing either😂🤦♂️
@@blackfrost9011 Guess it's a character driven story then?
The narrative for Uncharted 2 isn't bad, it perfectly services the tone Uncharted 2 is striving for: that of a light-hearted action-adventure romp. Now you could argue you personally don't like it or that you would've wanted some more depth, but this story achieves exactly what it sets out to do and thus is not objectively bad.
I would personally argue that the things you wanted to change would have taken away from the game, rather than adding to it. It would've sucked the fun out of playing as an action-star in favour of some quasi-moral message which doesn't really fit the tone the game is going for. There are loads of movies in the action genre which don't work because they're trying to get some deeper meaning across which isn't earned, and there are loads of action movies that don't try to do this and are still brilliant, not in spite of their simple stories, but because of them.
Sure, it's possible to make an action-adventure story with meaning when you do it well. I think Uncharted 4 succeeded at this, although it didn't hurt that game that it could build on the characters we already loved from the earlier games. But the tone of Uncharted 4 was still more somber and less light-hearted fun than Uncharted 2, which is why while Uncharted 4 is objectively a better game, I still personally prefer Uncharted 2, and even Uncharted 3 to it.
This is the problem with a lot of stories nowadays. They feel ashamed of just being pulpy fun and feel the need to deconstruct the genre instead. That can work, but it doesn’t mean that pulp adventure cliches should go away. Cliches often exist for a reason, and they’re generally fine if the story makes them feel fresh and if it’s well written and logical.
Thomas, you said it better than I ever could have. Uncharted, to me, PERFECTLY captures the kind of tone and fun that it was shooting for, evoking the Indiana Jones movies and the serials that Lucas and Spielberg were paying homage to when they made that movie.
I'm about 23 minutes in at the time of writing this And I have to say for the first time in a while I really just cannot get on board with this critique normally I can understand the criticisms and where they're coming from and they're typically logical from Luke but these all seem very nitpicky and opinion-based rather than pointing out flaws that people overlook because of their love for a product
I agree. Particularly the critique at 45:00
Could you get a little bit more specific? Because I think the criticisms are all justified
Right! It seems like he retroactively wants this game to be the last of us or somthing
@@amil6353 Tottaly agree, that was just his fault for mashing the circle button
I agree with luke dude. The game shows its age as fun as it is.
The device your talking about at 21:30 is called “en media res.” It’s where a story picks up around the climax and then shows how the character ended up in that situation.
In medias res*
Frank yes, my mistake
A near perfect game in my eyes. Fresh gameplay, perfect pacing, fun pulpy story with great characters. It’s a 10/10 for me. Calling the story bad is something I disagree with because they aren’t trying to be profound or wholly original but to be fun. And not all narratives need to be that and it would be silly to say so.
I agree, but I think he’s trying to say that the last game’s narrative was this same way, and that sequels need to push the boundaries by taking risks with the story.
Yeap
Totally agree
@@zombiefiedjem5113 I see where your coming from. I remember before U2 release, Naughty Dog out right said one of the 2 main females in this game would die. Now obviously they didn't die and we were tricked by ND in interviews, but we also get tricked by the game. I think at the time they maybe just wanted to build up a roster of characters so didn't ever kill any main protagonists off. Although there are other ways of pushing the boundaries, but killing off characters easily wasn't Uncharted's vibe.........that was left to TLoU
Nate is the bad guy? Is he serious? If Luke at all researched the behind the scenes of Uncharted he'd know it isn't trying to be The Last of Us or some deep character study. It's an adventure serial like Indiana Jones or pulp stories like Doc Savage
. There's always supernatural stuff and people getting unmasked at the end. This is what Amy Hennig enjoys and why Uncharted is so mass appealing.
You talk about how Shambala makes no sense but Shambala is actually the main city of the land mass of Agartha in the Inner Earth. That's why you go down the steps and underground. The sun in the sky above Shambala is actually the Earth's Core. It's pretty awesome. Other than your critique of the story just kind of seems like nit picking to me. There isn't supposed to be some deep emotional message. The stories of Uncharted are basically supposed to be like 80's B movie plots and pulp action movies.
Dude, I had no idea. Always wondered why you could see the sun underground and how no one found shambala previously if it was just out in the open. Super rad!
Dude, Shambala doesn't exist. Shambala is Shangri la and Shangri la is a made up city from the novel 'lost horizon' by James Hilton written in 1933. Shangli la is just inspired by some small buddhist temple grounds in Tibet. That's it
Don’t you remember how high up in the mountains they were? Descending down some stairs doesn’t take you to earth’s core.
Wait. Where did you hear that Shambhala was near the Earth's core? Did Naughty Dog say that somewhere.
@@superlombax1561 No but the theory about the Hollow Earth says that Shambhala is the main continent also known as Agartha. Ever since I heard that theory this game makes total sense. Because think about it, Nate goes down a few massive flights of steps into a cave and has to cross the turning bridges through a massive canyon. It’s basically one of the many entrances to the Inner Earth.
I really have to disagree with the whole "Elena should've died" and "this game should be more serious" thing. That's not the kinda stuff I want to see in an Uncharted game. If you wanna be sad and see characters die, you play The Last of Us. With Uncharted, I'm there to have fun with these incredibly charming characters. They're the main reason I kept playing these games.
Ha ha same.
Actually how they did the train sequence is really cool. The train is really going in a circle only shifting scenery depending on where the player is on said train.
I believe the reason the guardians outside of the city are dressed up as yetis is that they want to avoid the potential of someone finding about the city by encountering a guardian. If someone was to survive a guardian, not thinking it was simply a yeti, they are likely to be someone who might want the powers of the tree sap.
I love your channel and your critiques but this is the first one that I wanted to stop watching after about 10-15 minutes but I forced myself to finish it; , this “critique” of yours is frankly terrible. You seem dead set on hating the game and everything about it for no reason at all. Everything you say about the game seems to be negative, sarcastic and dismissive.
For example you say Chloe “double crossing” Nate and Elena before Jeff is shot makes no sense and that it’s “lame”. You obviously have no knowledge of the characters and made no effort to understand it. The point of Chloe is that when it comes down to it she cares for only one person: HERSELF. When she says “I was trying to save you.”, she’s saying they have made a huge mistake and squandered their lives by wasting time attempting to save Jeff. She then pretends to be holding them up to save her own life when Flynn and Lazarevic show up in the hopes they let her live, at this point she doesn’t care what happens to Nate and Elena. She was willing to help them up until the moment it ensured her death to stand alongside them.
It’s a cowardly and despicable move, but part of her character development, something that you say is nonexistent but in fact it’s that you choose to ignore it for this pathetic “critique”. Chloe’s growth is learning to care for those close to her and living her life for something other than looking out for herself. That is the point of her growth in UC2 and especially in The Lost Legacy.
Your dismiss every aspect of the story and characters. Like I said before I’m a huge fan of your channel but this is a pathetic and terrible critique, I feel like a 15 year old influencer wrote this critique instead of Luke Stephens.
EDIT: Also FYI, starting a story in the middle and having it come full circle to that moment is called “in media res” it’s a very effective storytelling tool used from The Odyssey, to Shakespeare, to The Usual Suspects, to Uncharted 2, etc. It’s not a “fun cliche from 90s comedies”. You’re embarrassing yourself. Be better than this.
Thanks for the input, jeff
Funniest line in the game, love it :D
Jeff didn't need a couple of scenes so we can care for the character, he only needed this moment
I honestly can’t pick between all of them. They all have something that is a little different from one another. I just like the entire franchise.
ayaan bazaz I can see where you are coming from. The first one is a little stale compared to most of them.
I agree with you. There hasn't been an Uncharted that I thought was awful. I love them all in their own ways. Uncharted 4 is obviously the newest and more graphically pleasing, but they all have wonderful stories!
Lames James I agree absolutely
@ayaan bazaz I agree none of the other 3 hold a candle to uncharted 4s gameplay
I couldn’t finish uncharted 4, felt really long. Uncharted 3 is my favourite
I know it’s going to take a bit but I am so looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Last of us part 2 👀
Same, I wonder whether he's going to stop the uncharted critique series to make the last of us 2 one or if he's going to finish the uncharted critique series first.
bEnMaC either way I think he has some of the best gaming critiques out there so 👍🏼
@@soleil1953 agreed
Agreed agreed. Luke is easily one of the best gaming critics out there
Wish fulfilled bud
Huh how strange, I was just playing the game for 3rd time this week. This will be a fun one. Also, I've not finished watching it yet but the right of the bat, I can tell you, the reason I love this game is because of its pacing. This is probably the best pacing I've experienced in a game ever. That is what makes the game click. There is never a single dull moment.
Obviously, Uncharted 2 is my favorite game from the series and probably one of my top 5 all-time favorite games. You never would want to put your controller down with this one.
I'll get my popcorn.
Yeah, i'm not the biggest of fan of the series but when i was playing it was impossible for me to leave the controller, it may not have a complex narrative or a 10/10 game but thanks to the great pacing and amazing action sequences this may be one of the most fun games i've ever played
That’s why Uncharted 2 is my favorite as well. The pacing is absolutely perfect. There’s always something happening, and the idea of placing the village section immediately after the amazing train section was the perfect time for the player to relax. For the other Uncharted games, I might go to chapter select to play certain sections again rather than playing the whole game again. With Uncharted 2, I usually just end up playing the whole game again because I just get sucked in by the action and the characters.
i’m sorry but i have to disagree. i thought this boss fight was so much more fun and definitely my favorite in the franchise. it’s so much more interactive and enjoyable than just plain button mashing lol
Exactly, it's the only final boss fight that has actual gameplay and makes use of vertical terrain and platforming, and isn't just a QTE fest in a tiny flat area. The Unch 2 final boss fight is easily the best of the series.
I definitely think U4 has the best boss fight. ND realised they were never going to make a fun, impactful boss fight that also had narrative significance, so instead of trying to do all of them they just focused on narrative significance and atmosphere and it works very well IMO. I wouldn't call running and occasionally shooting blue blobs "gameplay".
Talbot boss fight was ass though
That “fun cliche” you referenced is called in medias res. It’s a little more than a “fun cliche,” dude.
everything is "cliche" because every trope has been done by now, this dude is a nitpicker
Naming the cliché doesn't make it not a cliché.
@@GayAntagonist It's a literary device. Not a cliché.
It’s seems like you are judging a game from ten years ago by today’s standards tbh
He's judging the story by story standards at least. Star Wars was way ahead of it's time and still has nonsense in it
Ashley Kettle what I am saying is compared to most games the uncharted series has pretty good plots, some game plots are absolutely terrible even today yes there are flaws but they are flaws which appear in the very movies the games are mirroring so it’s even less of a valid argument.
I don't see what's wrong with that. It creates a discussion around the game that likely wouldn't have existed when it released.
YES- that’s what you’re supposed to do. Too many people have so much nostalgia towards this game saying that it’s better than Uncharted 4. Leading it to be one of the “best” games on metacritic, which just isn’t true.
Also, whenever I see someone say that this is better than Uncharted 4 it’s usually not backed up by any reason at all. It’s just a UA-cam comment saying “Uncharted 2 is my favorite” or a list of their favorite Uncharted games witch Uncharted 2 as number 1
I always wonder what Uncharted 4 would’ve looked like if Amy Hennig stayed on as director
Look up the 2013 teaser for Uncharted 4 and read about it. Sam Drake was going to be the main antagonist who was vengeful for Nate abandoning him years ago.
I think it would have literally been the same as 1-3...........as in search for treasure, "supernatural" thing at end, but it turns out the treasure making them "supernatural"........... I don't think she would have killed off Drake........that's something Neil Druckman would be more in favour of - yet even he didn't do that. I can't think of anything different she would have done........
Uncharted 5: A Thief's Transition
Nathan Drake - *hahaha im in danger*
Much better with good action and maybe supernatural elements
There’s a book by Jason Schreir that talks about Amy’s original plot from uncharted 4.
This was the first game I played on PS3. It blew my mind about how GOOD a game could look
But I definitely have rose tinted glasses
You should play the remaster ps4 version. It still looks amazing for a remaster that came out in 2015 for a game made in 2009 on technology from 2005. This reviewer is an idiot.
@@MegaBrendanS You don't. It was the 2nd best looking game after Crysis 1.
I'ts hard to pick just one Uncharted game as "the best" but if I had to I'd probably pick 4. As good as the rest are, 4 just hits you harder in a way that no other game in the series does.
Uncharted 4 still blows me away. I genuinely think almost everything about it was impressive.
Yeah same here
Agreed. The character development and quieter moments really sets it apart from the first 3 games.
For definitely has the best gameplay and the story is much more personal
This guy apparently doesn't understand how pulp adventures work...
The most frustrating boss fight in the franchise was fighting that stupid river in the first game.
I think the fact that the guardians of Shambala wore these beasty outfits was because they wanted to stay warm in the snowy areas cuz those are the only areas you see them wearing it :)
Likeable characters + fucking excellent level design = great fun
Uninspired characters + fucking endless run and gun cover based shooter = great fun
“The character development isn’t very good.” Dude I love you, but you’re so far off it’s scary.
hahahahahahaha nope
Hes overthinking things
you don't even say why he's wrong, idiot
@@user-sr3xs9vu3h it's really obvious if you've played the games why he's wrong
If you check out retro replay the devs talk about how they did the train setpiece, it was actually a series of environments that had a track on a loop through them and once you got to the right train car to advance the story the train would connect to the next looped environment, it's actually pretty smart
I think the point you were coming to in that one part is that criticizing something isn't the same as thinking critically about something.
Which having now watched your other videos I can see that you don't really get
You're seriously going to criticize the game on the decomposition of bodies?
And you're bringing up DPS? For real?
A lot of what you said in your "narrative" section isn't even critical of the narrative, it's critical of the game design. Similarly, most of your gripes are laughably minute and barely influence the overall product. Is it a perfect game? Of course not. However, it's clearly meant to mimic an Indiana Jones style treasure hunting action film, and it accomplishes that extremely well, especially for the time. This is NOT The Last of Us, it isn't meant to be a character exploration or an analysis of human emotion and/or the impacts of player decisions. It's a lot easier to look back and say "this should have been deeper" when you weren't a part of the creative process, and when you've had years to experience better games. But in terms of their decision making, how can you possibly know that they didn't already have an ending for the series planned out? Why would they kill Elena if her value to the overall plot is greater than you realize at the time?
Finally, when it comes to glitches and technical hiccups/issues, if you played the PS4 remasters then you're going to experience more problems. Hands down. There are a plethora of issues that have arisen which never existed before simply as a result of the upgrade to the PS4, including a few game breaking ones too. Is that the fault of the original title? No. It was done by a completely different group of people.
And with regards to that whole grenade prompt in the spike pit section, it isn't a scripted moment telling you to blow up the stone gear pieces with a grenade. As a matter of fact, using a grenade at that moment is actually pretty stupid lmao. It was a gameplay hint that just happened to pop up at the same time (and one I'm fairly certain you can turn off). Again, something that happens more frequently than it used to because of the PS4 remaster, but clearly not enough of an issue to say that that section isn't scary or intimidating. Honestly that last bit was too much, I can't continue watching this. For you to criticize the entirety of the game based on things like that just reduces this entire thing to whining for me. There's not a lot of value to this analysis.
The train was actually on looped tracks and always changed settings during a cutscene or a set event: you go from the forest to the lake during the cutscene with the chopper and the burning carriage, from the lake to the tunnel during the green carriage exploding, from the tunnel into the mountains during the mini-boss cutscene and then the train crashes after the "Nate gets shot" cutscene. So you could go as slow or as fast as you want and the train would still keep its speed and changing scenery.
After replaying the whole Uncharted series, I gotta give the crown to A Thief’s End. Among Thieves is a close second. ATE just hits differently.
lol "ATE"
My favorite is 3 honestly. it's underrated.
@@whodatninja439 thank you
Yeah, 4th installment is definitely most ambitious and has the most complex story. Plus, it actually focuses more on exploration, which is amazing.
For me, what keeps me going is the characters. Are they super deep, with complicated wants and motivations? No, they're not. But they're simply enjoyable. I enjoy Nate bickering and bantering with his oddball group of friends. I wanted ever since the first game for Nate and Elena to end up together, because I particularly enjoyed their chemistry.
I think you need to take these games for what they are. They're the cheesy action movies in game format. They don't really try to be much more than that, but they have their charm nonetheless.
I swear to god that in the original PS3 version (which i platinumed) every time the ceiling caving in part happened, i NEVER got that grenade tip once. I never used a grenade in that section for my MANY playthroughs, ive always shot at the spikes and im PRETTY SURE we were meant to figure that out on our own. That grenade tip might have been added for the collection remaster which is dumb. Ive played the game a couple times on that version but turn the hints off because i have these first 3 games memorized to an embarrassing degree really. But that grenade tip for that part really is news to me. Great videos though. Just came from your Uncharted 3 critique on Patreon!
Since this guys is craping on the "story" of U2, which by all accounts is pretty much similar to almost all action/adventure/treasure hunt types of stories, does he have a recommendation for an amazing story in this genere?
Not trying to put him down but just want to know if I have missed some stellar game in this category.
Uncharted 4 has a deeper and I'd say objectively better story. The way the story is told is equal if not better in U2, but looking at the story alone, U4 has the best one by quite a large margin.
Luca Patel yeah but for all intents of purposes, that story isn’t what Uncharted represented and homages at its core. Even the supernatural aspects were removed. Not to say it was bad by any means, but I doubt it would have strayed that much of the series identity if it wasn’t Nate’s final entry.
Luca Patel I 100% agree. The story in 4 really resonated with me. The first time I played it, Nate and Sam’s story really stood out because I would do the same for my brothers and sisters. I just finished another playthrough this week, the first time I’ve touched it since getting married, and oh boy did Nate and Elena’s scenes on Madagascar and the island get to me.
I would just play more recent games. MGS series, Uncharted 4, God of War, TLOU1&2 (the 2nd will either blow you away, or you'll hate it. Its worth seeing which one you are tho.) Nier Automata. Honestly recent singe player games are really the only ones with enough depth in their narratives to really impress you if you're used to watching quality film narratives.
I think the story in 4 is definitely better in terms of showing Nate and Elena's developing as characters and as a couple. Plus it brought their stories to a nice end and tied in Nates past with his actions in the previous games. We get to see why he did all of the things he did and really get to flesh out him as a character more than a campy action star. And I think it didn't really need a supernatural twist at the end because it would have just been rehashing the same events of the older games. The jokes about "pirate ghosts" and haunted treasure actually added to the mystery as well and it was more of a subtle curse than anything. I think the franchise is great the way it is and it shows how it developed, changed, and grew as a series throughout it's development and is honestly one of my favorite series.
In terms of other amazing stories in this genre I guess I could point to the new tomb raider games obviously which I think really don't compare on the narrative level as well as blending that with gameplay. Let me think... I mean if you think of any sort of action hero or game they never have extremely well though out motives or emotional depth. Resident evil for example is a loved franchise and no one really questions Leon or Clare's emotional or narrative consequences because it's a horror game. My point is that the game does well for what it's trying to do and I don't really agree with this guy's points and feel he's just nit picking. But hey everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Uncharted really is a gem of a franchise where you get great graphics, compelling characters who are relatable and likeable, and solid shooting gameplay on top of it. It doesn't really need to be anything more and it accomplished what it wanted to.
1. Uncharted 2
2. Uncharted 4
3. Uncharted 3
4. Uncharted Lost Legacy
5. Uncharted 1
Finally best ranking
Uncharted 1 was fine imo
1. Uncharted 1
2. Uncharted 2
3. Uncharted 3
4. Uncharted 4
5. Uncharted Lost Legacy
It's my own opinion. Played every one of them on their day 1 release date.
@@zombiezone2010 Perfectly balanced as all things should be
ayaan bazaz no characters and soundrack are superior and level design 4 had bad pacing sometimes.
I think one of the main reasons why Uncharted 2 is loved by so many, with it also being my favourite, is because of how much better it was compared to what came before. I myself played it for the first time only 3 months ago after having beaten the first one and the leap in quality astounded me and in some ways perhaps made me rather oblivious to its flaws. For me the monotony of the first game was completely diminished, it was a lightening in a bottle moment and neither Uncharted 3, nor even Uncharted 4 surprised me as much as 2. I’m not sure if that makes any sense so apologies if that’s the case. (And yes playing all of these games multiple times over is what I did for the first month or so of quarantine.)
No need to be surprised. Uncharted 2 is the most improved sequel to a game, of all time.
36:20 "Nate and Chloes have drug Elena to the top of the stairs"
The past tense of drag is dragged. Drug just means like alcohol or something
Drug is used in some American dialects as the past participle or past tense of the verb drag.
@@peanutbutterfalcon4018 oh wow did not know that
I just finished U2 remastered after playing the original 10 years ago and U4 more recently. I thought it was amazing to be honest and is my favourite one for sure. The trek from the streets of Nepal to the epic train sequence into the mountains all in real time was just incredible.
Nate's motivation to get to the Tree of Life and stop Lazarevic always seemed like a "white knight" tragic flaw thing. If Uncharted 3 is about Nate's pride, Uncharted 2 is about his short sighted moral compass. He often gets himself and others he cares about into more danger in the pursuit of "doing the right thing", and although this game doesnt explore that idea as fully as it perhaps should have, that was what I took away from the experience my first time playing.
He fantasizes about being a morally dubious yet unquestionably brave adventurer like his namesake. Its built into his character from the eponymous level upward.
I always took it as them deliberately pointing out that Nate doesn't care about Elena to that level yet, and if he does he has yet to realise or admit it to himself. Its clear from the first game they were going to be together especially with reintroducing her in this game. Its not that he doesn't care about Elena, its just no the first thing on his mind. He wants to be the hero and save the day.
I took it more as him doing what Elena would want since she was the one who wanted to stop Lazarevic the whole time. Nate and Chloe were initially just in it for the treasure
I think the Yeti thing is cool. Makes sense to explain the myth of the Yeti. Plus it scares people into staying away from Shambala. A yeti is way scarier than a guardian that just looks like a dude.
If you are arguing that Nathan is the bad guy because he kills people too. You are taking this way to serious. It is a game. A great game at that. And if you think that he kills people because he wants to your wrong. He’s an explorer who wants to find the worlds legendary treasures. The problem with that is so do a bunch of had people. And when they shoot at him he shoots back. Is Indiana Jones a bad guy? No sir. Same reasons. Trouble just finds Drake. You have to remember that these are movies that you play. It’s not the Last of us that is grounded and real. It’s uncharted. Which is a larger than life action game. Where super natural stuff happens. Some of the story stuff is cheesy sure and the yeti stuff and that final boss fight do kind of suck. But other than that I think you are being to harsh on what I believe is the best game they ever put on the PS3 (unless you count the Last of Us)
I feel like those markings you're saying that Uncharted 2 doesn't have ARE actually there in the second half of the game, when you're in the snowy areas. It was notably Napal that was lacking them, and where the way to go was a little less direct.
20:30 the train sections are actually just giant looping sections of tracks so it can go on forever only to then transition to where it needs to be during certain scripted cutscene sections. Watching a video on how the train sequence was pulled off and being able to see it from perspectives the player would never be able to was really cool seeing the tricks the devs used to get it working but it's very noticeable especially in the tunnel and mountain area that it's a giant loop since you are able to see the track splits to the tunnel exit or notice yourself passing over the same bridge multiple times if you take too long.
My “moment” with this game came in the penultimate chapter, Broken Paradise. The Guardians attacked Lazarevic’s men, and I thought that they might be killed, but the soldiers easily fought them back. I was playing on Crushing, and it was my first play through, so I didn’t know the best battle strategy. I picked off a few with my guns, until I had no ammo left, but I arrived at a dilemma. There was no ammo near me, and no other guns. To take more, I had to jump straight into the foray and hope I wasn’t killed. There was a mini gun continually spraying fire as well. After waiting in apprehension, I finally did it, and succeeded! My ecstasy knew no bounds, and it was one of the most satisfying gameplay moments I’ve had. That sold me on it.
I can never understand how some people think 3 is better than 2.
Same!
Yeah 3 just has better combat thats all, 2 had way better Storyline and enemies, in 3 the enemies were weird and the Story felt just lost sometimes and they added for that amazing set pieces
You just should play U3 and see that it's improved every aspect of U2 and bring a depth to Nathan's story. Nothing wrong
@@sneqniizver I have; the writing (notable plot holes) and pacing is arguably inferior to 2.
@@SPM0717 U2 had better pacing ? The game that had the unnecessarily long train and identical shootouts in the Monastery ? And also the 17-18 exploring chapters with Tenzin that I love, but, to be honest, didn't make much sense for the plot because at this moment characters should've try to find Shambhala instead of spending time on evidence Schaefer could provide them with.
No, U3 had less plot holes and another, but not worse, pacing with an optimal length for all chapters
So 15 minutes in is when I realized why people have an issue with this critique. For his own purposes, Luke strips down the story to it's basic plot points - removing all of the context that makes the story an enjoyable ride. It's not that the story is bad, its just that a Thanksgiving turkey is made more enjoyable by all the amazing trimmings. To break it down in this way is like judging a smartphone simply on it's ability to make and receive phone calls. I'm not even a die hard fan of 2 - in fact the way Luke claims that most fondly remember it, or that it's the best in series - is the way I feel about part 3. Is the critique valid for what it is - arguably yes. Is it fair that he replayed these games through a modernized "The Last of Us" lens and is therefore unworthy of it's acclaim - arguably no. The sum of it's parts is exactly what makes it memorable - IMHO.
3 was just a letdown for me. The pacing just isn't a patch on 2 and there's more plot holes throughout. Gameplay-wise, some bits are improved, some aren't; the worst for me was the enemy AI and how they react to being hit (or should I say, lack of) which completely spoils what should be enjoyable gunfights.
@@SPM0717 I can respect that totally. 3 just caught me at the right time. When I first got into the series, 2 was already out. So 3 was at least for me, the "big" release. Playing Nate as a kid and seeing the relationship with Sully created, the humor, the interactive environments during hand to hand combat, the chase scenes, the huge set pieces, Nate & Elena's relationship evolving- for me it was The Princess Bride of Uncharted...at least until 4 hit lol
The gardians reveal made me think of Scooby doo, ya know when they unmask the bad guys Lmao
42:00 locked in a cold dark room with Chloe sounds pretty nice actually!! Lol
Pro tip though. Hint prompts are for children. You turn them off. Another one of your many ridiculous gripes.
I have nevered turned off the hints and that trap scene i never had a tip at all.
It's funny, I loved the final boss. Every final boss since has been disappointing. It felt difficult, especially on the hardest difficulty (as you'd expect). It actually felt like a "Final Boss" to me, rather than a quick time event.
That was a very roundabout way of sucking off Druckmann and dismissing Hennig.
Joking aside, game critics have been throwing around the "ludonarrative dissonance" meme endlessly about Uncharted for over a decade, as if its the only game where the protagonist racks up a huge death toll and doesn't have to deal with heavy handed moralizing about how mass murder is bad.
Uncharted is designed after the spirit of the Alan Quatermain books and the Republic serial matinees. The only reason the journalist class got so uncomfortable about the death toll was the demographics of the first game's enemies and Yahtzee insisting the series was racist since day one, because he's a tedious hack.
Uncharted 2 hasn’t aged well? Girl please.
ye I played if for the first time in 2019 and loved it. It was the remaster but still...
For real, the nitpick is strong with this one.
the gameplay feels like a chore
M If you struggling
In terms of story, I think the answer is absolutely no
You sound so pissed off for 90 % of the commentary, honestly kinda made this a hard watch as it’s just annoying constant nit picks.
It’s not nit pick if it constitutes 100% of the game.
Uncharted 2 literally pioneered uncharted stealth. There are several gameplay encounters (albeit I believe they should’ve done more) that are done entirely stealth. Ex: the prison prologue with tranqs introducing stealth, nearly all of Borneo, several encounters in the urban city, and the train sequence stealth parts oh my looooord are the best.
I really like the effort you put into the video and overall it’s a great watch, but I think you were somewhat off with a few parts ;)
Seems like it’s cool to hate on Naughty Dog at the moment. Just like it was cool to hate on Death Stranding in November. Shame, I miss the times when this channel actually produced intelligent and well researched critiques on games...
Damn is this even worth a watch?
TJ Levey not really, this guy is expecting this game to achieve things that it doesn’t want to achieve.
aashrith madagiri Damn I knew I unsubscribed for a good reason
This game literally made me buy the Playstation 3.
I just loved the jokes.
The jokes? The game was a treasure at every aspect
Same here, seeing people playing it made me want to get a PS3. I love the Nepalese city and train levels in particular having replayed both parts more than I can count
Hey, so just a recommendation. I love your videos but you use the phrase "but dont worry we will get there" about every 3 minutes and it's a heavily over-used phrase. Instead of saying "but dont worry we will get there" just end the thought and move on. We as listeners should have a long enough memory to not need that primer. For me personally, its quite annoying and makes it hard to watch some videos for long moments of time (30 + mins). This quirk seems unique to you and I respect that, but I know that you are a good writer and dont need to say the same phrase every 3 minutes
Love the vids othotherwise!
Yeah Luke could definitely learn from some constructive criticism but don’t worry we will get there
Strongly disagree on the narrative front. Of course it is not perfect, but in 2009, this was peak story telling and it was amazing. It was the undisputed GOTY for many and it was a huge game which I feel started to turn the PS3 around from which point Sony focused more on story driven games. I don't think doing a critique in 2020 comparing this games to games that came out years later is valid or even fair. You judge a game by what it was, at its time, based on story and gameplay. Of course you're welcome to your opinion :) Appreciate the critique Luke
As someone who just finished the second game for the first time, I completely agree with your talk about markings and freeclimbing. It also reminds me of the way that they were able to both mark and organically integrate it into the world in The Last of Us. In TLOU, there were only a few places where you would be able to jump up and climb thigs or would need to boost someone to do so, but these would be marked in ways that still suited the world. My favorite example is early in the game when one of these spots is marked with an old strand of caution tape.
It is difficult for me to pick between the Uncharted games. I loved them all for different reasons, even Uncharted 1 which most people seem to rank last. They are just so special and I hope one day we might see another.
I played the whole lot over lockdown. And for whatever reason, I played Uncharted 4, Lost Legacy and THEN Uncharted 1. Random, I know. But booting Uncharted 1 up I was think "oh god here we go, this is going to irk me"..............I don't know what happened this time, but it really took me back to 2007 - the controls and graphics (albeit remastered) the story......I was really getting in to it all again. I don't really know why I clicked with it again this time as I've been back to it many times and I knew it aged bad. But I appreciated it for what it does differently, the eerie island, just Nate and Elena, and probably just being aware of where the characters go after this. I think if I was someone new going in to Uncharted 1 in 2020........ then 95% would really dislike it. So I feel lucky I played these game when I did.
@@mike7887 I only started playing them this year, and I've finished all 4. So I went into uncharted 1 in 2020 and I did not hate it at all, I loved every moment. Compared to uncharted 4, yes the graphics aren't as good but the characters are still wonderful and it's so special to experience the beginning. I've not played lost legacy yet, I've not long completed Uncharted 4 (I recorded it for my channel). But I hope to play Lost Legacy soon. I'm looking forward to it!
@@xJuliettex Ahhh I'm excited for you to play it. U4 is my favourite. Then Lost Legacy. Such a beautiful game. Not anything deep and layered like U4 but intriguing setting, more character development for Chloe, and good pacing! Hope you enjoy it!
now this is the kind of masterpiece story writing that put naughty dog on the map
Now this is the mindset that has this generation in the dark ages.
One of the juiciest games ever!
💀
Bro I remember going to GS and seeing the cover of UC2 on their magazine and so blown away by it, I know it was gonna be so big. Backstory me and my friends bought (acutally pooled our money together for a month) the original game and played it for like months over and over comparing it to TR and knowing it was gonna be THE GAME for the PS3, it's one of those where you could just feel the immeasurable potential the heat if you wanna call it that coming from the game.
I honestly have a hard time with this review of the story. It seems like you want it to be Sophie's Choice, but it *is* Indiana Jones. Raiders isn't a dramatic masterpiece, but it is still a fantastic adventure and an enjoyable movie.
My personal rank is:
1. Uncharted 2
2. Uncharted 3
3. Uncharted
6 (tie) Lost Legacy (two characters I really don't care that much about)
6 (tie) Uncharted 4 (Sam is the worst. I can't bring myself to care about him)
I think you evaluate the quality of a plot according to how pretentious it wants to be, which is a tremendous mistake. I mean, saying its story is bad because it doesn’t have the twists and turns of a script such as the one of The Last Of Us’s is quite an stretch and unfair. Like saying The Last Crusade is crap because it isn’t The Godfather. For me, a story is good as long as it nails all the points it is going for and wants to make. Uncharted 2 does this not only with its narrative, but also with all its other features. Reason why to this day, it still is the highest rated Naughty Dog game with a 96 on Metacritic.
14:45 another mistake you seem to be making, imo, is to easily compare Uncharted 2 with Infinity War when both works are representatives from completely different sub-genres with their own inherit tropes that both works do their best to homage. Hence a comparison with Indiana Jones would be much more fitting, Lazarevich is much closer to the type of villain that Belloq represents than Thanos, and that’s perfectly fine because it’s the game’s intention to pay tribute to classic pulp action stories which is what essentially Uncharted wants to be and is at its core.
33:24 I doubt that would have happen considering Elena tells us Lazarevich’s history of war crimes and Zoran himself tells us how he sees Pol Pot, Hitler and Stalin as examples to be followed.
Although I agree it would have been nice to see a more developed defense from behalf of Nate to his kill streak that borderlines genocide, given that it is addressed by the plot, I believe people that heavily persuits these type of stories expecting the overrated Ludonarrative Dissonance argument to be complied with are the same individuals that would want Indiana Jones 5 to be a two and a half hour character study of Indy crying in a therapy session because the screams don’t let him sleep.
35:14 the reason I’ve seen to be shared the most in the Uncharted subreddit is that Nate kills because it’s “kill or be killed”, which in my eyes is more than a valid reason for a series which in its og trilogy the protagonist saves the world repeatedly in plots that don’t take themselves seriously most of the time. Even then, in my own personal take, Nate has a moral compass which can perfectly be seen in the museum section. For example, he won’t kill a guard who is just doing his job and in the worst case scenario will just lock him in a cell if caught, but in the other hand he is more than willing to kill a generic mercenary who won’t doubt in shooting at him and probably already has plenty of blood in his hands for choosing a dishonorable profession just like Nate himself. So in conclusion, Nate is still relatable to the average player who doesn’t over analyze because despite killing a lot of people, he still has a core set of values and won’t let a treasure he seeks to be used to harm others (like we can see in U1, U2, U3 and Golden Abyss) because he is into this life for a personal reason which was explained later in U4 although it was implied in previous games. Which is more than enough in a plot that wants to be simplistically lighthearted for the sake of making you have a good time, which is another reason why Nate is so beloved as he always cracks you a smile.
37:08 As I said, Uncharted is meant to be lighthearted the same way Star Wars or Indiana Jones is. Which in the words of George Lucas on why he didn’t kill Han Solo “the less main characters you kill the better, because the audience has to feel uplifted once the credits roll”. Although I get your frustration, ultimately that’s not what Uncharted nor Amy Hennig wanted the early games to be.
39:18 Well, you could say that’s Nate’s overarching evolution. He overcomes his obsession for treasure hunting and becomes responsible of his actions for his sake and the sake of those who surround him by the end of Uncharted 4. And Drake’s Deception and A Thief’s End point this flaw in Nate constantly.
40:48 if you want to be that nitpicky, I can tell you helicopters can’t fly at that altitude (which isn’t the same one as in the train section) reason why rescues on the Everest aren’t a thing... but yeah any Google satellite could have noticed that city, although if that was the case there wouldn’t be a game so...
41:16 just like in Indiana Jones, Nate’s character development in the first two games is pretty much “I don’t believe in fairy tales” to “I guess I should allow myself to believe more and be less cynical” (just like with Chloe) and the character of Schaffer shows this to Drake, reason why Nate has such a respect for the man by the ending. Also the level of commitment in the relationship with Elena deepens with each installment. Again, simple, but not bad because of it.
42:11 well, it is a 10 year old game idk what else to tell you.
43:23 strange, those tips tend to appear after dying a lot, as everyone I’ve seen playing this part uses bullets to shatter the gears.
47:03 That’s one of my biggest problems with your critiques man, you never contextualize to the time the game you are analyzing came out. At the time those markings were praised for the huge leap they meant in level design as they did serve a purpose, guide you without you realizing, and they did that extremely well. It’s not Uncharted 2’s fault that later installments would refine this technique. Also, the fact that you are comparing a 2009 game with Assasins’s Creed ODYSSEY only proves my point even more.
I respect you dedication
I think we love it cause it's just fun. The plot isnt great, but the script and pacing are. They give you just enough other things like puzzles, parkour, and the train scene, car chase to switch up the monotony of the shooting galleries
39:18 bruh the music and what he is saying is so dramatically funny plus after a point this just becomes nitpicking
You mentioned that you didn’t play this game when it first came out, and that’s the ballgame right there. I’m sorry you wasted so much time producing this critique, but what you failed to acknowledge is that in terms of every aspect of the presentation, including narrative and screenplay, this was light years beyond almost any standard set for games up to that point. To the extent that The Last of Us is “better” than this, that’s at least how far this was beyond almost anything else that gamers could compare it to at the time.
I’m sure in your opinion, FFVI (from 1994) aged even worse than this, but trust me, when you experience a paradigm shift, you’re not worried about nitpicking.
Right
Completely nailed it. I mean, Uncharted 4 “fixes” the issues he has. Except the lack of depth he finds in UC2 doesn’t constitute as it being flawed. UC2 works perfectly well and feels perfectly comfortable not having the need to tell such an in depth story.
The game is perfect saying it has a bad story is something I have to disagree with
The story is Bad? It's not a mind fuck for sure but i really like it, because it's simple and the characters very likeable
That is surface level writing that has nothing to destinguish itself from any other
Jeff The Camera Man lived on in multiplayer! He is a legend!
20:30 I don't think the train actually needs to move in space, it just needs to look like it's in motion
Why I loved Uncharted 2? I love the scenary, soundtrack, the story, the puzzles and the characters. I fully understand your criticisms against the story, but let me explain:
It's not a 'the last of us'. It's not realistic. It's not a masterpiece in terms of philosophy. It's a light hearted story, where, at the end of the day, everything turns out fine. Yes, you can have more realistic games to sacrifice the light heartedness. Yes, you can kill off Elena, and make a bitter sweet ending, of how harsh the world treats you for saving it. But that's, again, not a light hearted story. I know Luke, you prefer bitter sweet endings and meaningful choices, but I gotta admit; I'm a fan of a 100% good ending, doesn't matter how stereotypical. At the end of the day, I want my favourite characters to be happy, when I played through the game. At the end of the day, this game makes you feel happy in the end, because everything turned out fine. And about the puzzles, I fully stand behind the ridiculous over the top puzzles. I recently played through tomb raider and those games just wouldn't be as fun, if you had legitimate mayan puzzles, because you'd either have a deep pit to fall to your doom or a few stone traps, ready to bury you. On the other side, I fully agree with the gameplay and the hints. Even more with the hints, since tomb raider on the hardest difficulty throws them in verbally every few seconds.. I haven't played the game for 6 or 7 years, but got it for free on the ps4, so I'll go replay it.
Is it still free?
@@spiderthen4031 Sadly not :(
Best PS3 game hands down🙌🏼
It's definitely one of the best but I'd say the last of us is the best one
@@UKEDNHAT7 Far from it imo... You've got GoW 3, Killzone 2/3, inFamous 1/2, Ratchet & Clank A Crack In Time, Sly 4... Just TONS of amazing PlayStation Exclusives on PS3 that all outshine anything Naughty Dog did that generation, shit the Jak & Daxter HD Collection (a Remaster of Naughty Dog's PS2 output, and arguably their BEST Games... STRAIGHT FACTS) was better than Uncharted 1-3 & TLoU 1 🤷♂️
@@MrRhysReviews damn man it’s only my opinion lol
@@UKEDNHAT7 Same here, was just sayin' 🤷♂️
Im surprised you didn't talk about how the Villains kept showing up right behind us coincidentally right at the moment we find key information or unlock a new path even though the villains didn't have the accurate information like Drake did. Once at the top of the mountain then the Temple in the city then a third time at the entrance of Shambala. Like hoooow Like if they did that once fine but THREE TIMES?!?!?!?!
The NaughtyDog pairing concept is great - one bugbear I have with (most) other games with companions is how every time you come to a situation, the companion is inconveniently behind a wall or door or asleep or busy or waiting for you to activate a switch down a dark corridor
unpopular opinion apparently: i don't find any problem with nate killing countless armed henchmen who make no secret of their own desire to kill him and others and i do NOT find any ludo-narrative dissonance in it on the argument of self defense and defense of others. now, if he had gone on about how killing is wrong or how difficult killing is or something in cutscenes and then preceded to murderize everyone in gameplay, THEN it would be ludo-narrative dissonance for me
WHY DOES HE KEEP TALKING ABOUT UNCHARTED 4s STORY IN PREVIOUS GAME REVIEWS?? What the shit luke
Uncharted 2. One of the best games ever made
Talking to a brick wall?
I think this is a difference between Neil and Amy. Neil doesn't want to write a summer blockbuster fun game, he wants to make us think.
I see the same the uncharted games in the exact same way i see the indiana jones films. in a fun adventure story that doesn't take itself too seriously. you don't have to play the previous games to understand what's going on or to have fun and it all wraps up nicely in the end. the most i take out of this is the gameplay, the scenery, and just the graphics/animations that still blow me away to this day. As i a kid i never played those games wondering about the morality of nathans actions or why the story went into the direction it did. i was just along for the ride and i had fun.
If i remember correctly, put simpler than it is, the train level was possible by putting triggers on the train itself, so the outside repeats until activating the triggers to change the scenery.
One of my favorite games, and one of few I give 10/10.
Pointless plot, endless run and gun, expected cinematic sequences, brainless puzzle solving equates a perfect 10/10 for you. Good job at setting the bar high. More bang for your buck.
@@Tresicre_T So u know nothing about the game. Got it.
@@reyesarsenal9 What don’t I know. Please enlighten me.
I thought the whole point of nate going back to kill lazro was to save the world. If he didn’t he probably would’ve massacred the world.
I know it’s been awhile since this came out so no one will care about this comment. But uncharted 2 came out a hard time in my life, I never played the first one and my dad gave me this one before I went away after the summer. I lived in a new town and did not know anyone, maybe 12 years old. No internet, no friends and a copy uncharted 2. I played this game for almost an entire year and only this game. Beat it several hundred times and can probably quote the entire thing and play it with my eyes closed. Nothing will ever come close to the feelings I had about this game because of what it did for me in one of the hardest times of my life. So that’s why this is my favorite uncharted game.
This was very critical, and I don't think a lot of it was justified. You mention that the Uncharted series lacks consequences, which I agree with (Uncharted 4 definitely deserves that criticism), but you say that this game should have followed through with Elena dying to act as an unintended consequence for Nate's selfless decision to fight Lazarevich. Nate wasn't a hero in this game, though, so it would essentially punish a selfish character for being selfless for once, and the world in the Uncharted games isn't designed to be that cruel. Nate choosing to defeat Lazarevich displayed one of Nate's only positive character traits, being his selfless heroism, and so having a repercussion for that I don't think is necessary at all and doesn't fit the series tonally. To me, escaping with Elena was the easier and more selfish choice, and Nate going to fight Lazarevich is a brash decision, but not in the same selfish ways as most other decisions he makes.
You also imply that Lazarevich MIGHT have improved the world in some way, and that Nate could have been the greater of the two evils by killing his soldiers mercilessly, but the chapters in Tibet show that this isn't true. Lazarevich tears apart a city looking for a temple, creating a war zone, and throughout the game he is clearly depicted as an evil dude. The game obviously didn't want to explore a more complex antagonist, and it could have, but I don't think that it is a knock against it.
A story that is campy and self aware is always more fun to me than a story that tries to take itself seriously but is unaware that it is vapid. I just think that having a massive consequence at the end of this game would have been a poor way of trying to make a fun adventure more thought provoking. In Uncharted 4, though, definitely. I love that game way more than this one, but that was a game that needed a consequence at the end because the game had been pointing to weighty decisions and amoral character choices from the start, and was obviously made with a more serious tone in mind, unlike this game.
Am I the only one who thinks Uncharted 3 is underrated? It has some plot issues but they nailed that Lawrence of Arabia vibe.
The major criticism I've seen is that its a beat-for-beat retread of Uncharted 2, and the new plot elements it introduces are underdeveloped to the point of being outright aborted. Stuff like how Talbot does the impossible things he does on the regular, that kind of thing.
Luke, you really should work on your writing a little more. Very often you are falling into the loop of repeating the same statement multiple times without really adding anything of value to these statements. I feel like you could easily cut 30% out of your reviews and they will not lose anything.
Still love your videos though, its just that it can get annoying for me sometimes.
Phurba dagger is pronounced as if the H weren’t there, just perba dagger I guess. And for the shambala protector beast guys just get crazy headshots on one, steal one of their crossbows, and don’t miss, crossbows take ‘em down mad quick even on brutal
26:21 the answer to that scene is simpler than it seems, the writers love Scooby Doo. That's it, amy hennig even calls it the "Scooby Doo moment"
Plus they probably just wanted yetis in it because its in nepal so they just combined it with a scooby doo moment to create smurf yetis.
Was not expecting to see Thanos twerking when I came to watch this video. But then again I guess I should've
I agree that the gameplay is iffy compared to Uc4 and Uc3. However, I feel like this game just feels like the complete blockbuster adventure even more than those 2 games. The set piece sequences, locations, pacing, atmosphere just feel so uniquely Uncharted 2. I always say that technically Uc4 is the best, but my favorite will always remain Uc2 even after all these years and its faults.
U2 had better gunplay than U3, at least in the remaster. It felt off in U3.
@@Luca-bv5ic It wasn't so much the gunplay as the fact that enemies almost never reacted to being shot and continued to run towards you (when they weren't flanking you), which really made ploughing through them less enjoyable.
I respectfully disagree with the whole 'chickening out' scenario. These games are light hearted, they're 'swash-buckling' Errol Flynn type adventures. I only consider U4 to be a genuine 'grounded' narrative. So I'm on board with Sully and Elena surviving. The resulting games would be very serious. Would Nate even be this light hearted- wise cracking guy in U3 if his love interest had died at his, admittedly, own hands. I don't think so. These games, at least the first three, are built around the premise that you're not supposed to take it so seriously and just enjoy the ride. I think you're over-critique-ing it for the sake of it, in my most humble opinion.
Luke... This take... Woof!
Can’t wait to hear your critique of TLOU2 bc imo Naughty Dog acknowledges their previous tropes and the dissonance of mass murder to examine the thin lines between good and evil. I can’t say I believe TLOU2 is a masterpiece but I will say it’s ND evolving to becoming far more self aware.
I'd say they've been self-aware from the beginning, its the critics who misunderstood what kind of story they were playing. They bought tickets to "The Road" and sat down in the theatre showing "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold"
Good job mixing up character development and plot.
Interesting that you talked about killing off Elena. Neil druckmen actually wanted to kill her off but Amy henning didn’t approve.
UC2 is the best in the series because it actually is a summer blockbuster of a game, whereas further games are cinematic experiences with tacked-on serviceable recycled gameplay. In 4 hours of playing UC2 you'll be doing anything from running away from a truck with machine-guns shooting at you, fighting a helicopter on rooftops, fighting for life in a collapsing building, fighting mini-gunners, fighting a tank, fighting enemies on a moving train, fighting enemies while hanging on a side of a building, etc., and all of that with enough fun character moments and exposition to keep you invested in the game's pulpy story and characters.
In that same 4 hours of UC4, particularly in the beginning, you're gonna be going back-to-back through 8 barely interactive story levels with 0 replayability, which range from diving in a canal, going through another retrospective young Drake level where you're just walking around, to walking in the attic. Riveting stuff. All with a nice juicy gravy of forced walking segments and cutscenes, of course. And further into the game you'll get some action, but the pacing is so poor, that you'll be walking and climbing around for 2-3 hours straight (climbing just isn't particularly exciting in Uncharted games, so combat is the only way to get some sort of a dopamine rush), then have 2 to 3 enemy encounters in a row for let's say 15-30 minutes depending on the difficulty, and it's back to 2-3 hours of watching cutscenes, walking/driving/climbing, cause the levels are too big, we need to marvel at vistas, and the story needs to happen. There are like 25+ enemy encounters in the whole game (all listed in the main menu) in a 25hr long game. It would be bad enough to have one every hour, but they're not even spaced out that way, and the final ~4 hours of the game are a constant war zone with ~10 combat scenarios in a row, and you're sick of gun fights, and want them to end by then, too. Hell even the story in UC4 was full of recycled ideas and story-lines from the whole franchise, and had a generic Naruto/Harry Potter ending. I've beaten this game twice for the platinum, and I'm never playing it again - there's nothing more frustrating then coming back from work, firing up a game, and then having 0 fun in the 2-3 hours you've got to play. I can play slower-paced games just fine, but this is supposed to be action-adventure, after all.
UC3 wasn't as bad UC4, but it already started veering into that form over function path with young Drake levels, stuff like walking through the desert for 5 minutes straight, running through the market on drugs, forced walking segments, and story-heavy levels where you're just a passive observer pressing a button whenever ND wants you to. Somewhere along the way ND lost the plot, and figured they'd rather make movies than games, and show off. If they cared about gameplay they'd never make O button do opposite things depending on how close the enemy stands to you - when you pressed O in UC3 you'd either roll out of danger, or Drake lunged straight into an enemy to initiate melee combat. I can't tell you how many times I'd die because of this on crushing difficulty, cause Nate would jump out of cover straight into enemy fire, instead of rolling away (that lounge could cover a surprising amount of ground, too). Or how about 'right, right, hold triangle, up, up, release triangle' combos for selecting a single weapon in TLOU2 instead of implementing a simple weapon wheel? These combos got even longer if you wanted to change ammo, or add a silencer. This is basic gameplay stuff. Stealth segments were straight up broken in UC3, and they don't gel well with crushing difficulty in newer games, either. I just finished Lost Legacy and I died a lot of times because of the brain dead AI companions that get in my way, push me around, raise alarms by knocking enemies out in plain sight, or constantly get in my line of fire. Not to mention they'd block my way during exploration, too. But hey, the environments look nice. Where's the fun in ND's newer games? How come UC2 has 10x more set pieces than UC4, and is still 10x more fun to play to this day?